Chicked...again...

Today, I ran 24 miles to cap off my 44 from yesterday.  In the span of 29 hours, I have put 68 training miles to rest.  That is the most I have done in a 29 hour period as best as I can tell from my notes.  I feel great.  As I mentioned yesterday, I have burst through a wall and seem to be firing on all cylinders.  I am questioning if I am training too much and peaking too early.

These days, I don't get passed very often.  Usually, when I do get passed, it is by some fresh looking kid who probably is on mile 2 while I am on mile 30.  More on my response to these attacks in a second.
About 15 miles in today, I got dusted by some late 20s/early 30s girl who had obviously been out a while judging from the sweat and dirt she was carrying on her.  I was not running slow, but she blew by me like I was standing still.  I don't give chase when that happens.  If a girl passes me, it is not cool to give chase and try make a point.  I don't know why the double standard exists in my head...if a guy passes me, I will always let him get ahead and then try to reel him in. )   So, I was.....

Chicked....again.  

It made me wonder about how women were doing in the sport of running long distances.  So I got back home and did some research.  Pretty interesting.  Here are three women who are total bad asses in running long....

Pam Reed: 

Pam Reed is probably the biggest female bad ass.  She held the world's record for the BadWater Ultra Marathon completing 135 miles in 27 hours and 56 minutes.  She ran a world record 512 miles in six days at the Self Transcendance Race in 2009...oh yeah, all this on a one mile loop.  She will be attempting to break the female record for running across the US about the same time of my run.  She is hoping to maintain a 50 mile a day pace.  Good luck to her!


Lisa Batchen Smith: 

This woman has really cranked it.  9 BadWater Ultra Marathon Finishes.  Winning it two times...in 1998 and 1999.  She has run over 100 ultra marathons and has a 100 mile PR of 18:36.  She recently ran 50 miles in 50 states over the course of 62 days (50 running days..sound familiar?).  She is featured in a story in Runners World this month.

Jamie Donaldson: 

Current female record holder for BadWater.  She broke her own previous record in 2010 by completing the 135 miles in 26 hours and 16 minutes.  She was third overall...chicking a long list of dudes.  In training, she was running 219 mile weeks!  Yow!
So, women are putting a mark on the sport of long distance running.  Maybe, the girl who chicked me today was a female bad ass in training.  I would like to think so at least!  Otherwise, it is clear I am getting slow in my old age.
240 miles so far this month!  On target!

E